Huawei is not a name that many Americans are familiar with. It is currently the world's third-largest smartphone maker, behind Apple and Samsung.
Plans to introduce Huawei to a large audience are under way, first by making it available on one of the United States' largest carriers.
Huawei's US Push
Huawei plans to make a large push into the U.S. market by getting its flagship model on AT&T, according to The Information.
Huawei's phones have previously been available in the United States through deals with Best Buy and Amazon. The problem is that consumers usually buy their phones through their carriers in the country, making sales lag behind rivals Apple and Samsung.
To make its way into the United States, Huawei will be releasing their latest flagship, the Mate 10. First released back in October, it will be largely the same phone. It will have "technical adjustments" based on U.S. standards and "undercover market research missions."
There are also reports that Huawei is working on a deal with Verizon, the United States' largest carrier.
Huawei will also be spending $100 million on a marketing campaign to raise brand awareness. Even without capturing the U.S. market, Huawei is poised to become the second largest smartphone maker in the world — surpassing Apple in the process.
Mate 10
Mate 10 is Huawei's latest flagship model. There are two different versions of the phone, the Mate 10 and the Mate 10 Pro. Unlike Apple's models that just vary in sizes, with Huawei, some features on one phone are not available on the other.
One of the most notable differences is the screen of each phone. Mate 10's screen is a 5.9-inch 16:9 LCD with 1440p resolution, while Mate 10 Pro's screen is a 6-inch, 18:9 AMOLED 1080p resolution.
Mate 10 Pro follows a popular trend with smartphones in removing the headphone jack. Mate 10 retains it.
MicroSD slots are not a popular feature in the United States, but the Mate 10 will include it. Mate Pro has a larger memory than the base model (128 GB versus 64 GB) but will not have a microSD card slot.
If you can't wait to buy it before its U.S. release, it is currently available on Amazon. Mate 10 costs $699, and Mate 10 Pro costs $919. Currently, both phones work on AT&T and T-Mobile, but not with Verizon and Sprint.
